Drautran - Throne of the Depths

Drautran starts off mellow, if it didn't have the spooky bubbling sounds you might mistake this for some folk record but it's only to ease you in. They did it really effectively. First come the acoustics, then the drums, then vocals, then guitars and by the time first song finishes and the second one comes in you're in the fucking boiling point that starts smacking everything around. 

The synths continue throughout but the album is much more aggressive and lively than you would presume from the first track. Rich in composition, melody and controlled chaos this band mostly reminds me of Emperor (at least older Emperor) and this mood is helped by excellent synths that drive in the background. Surprisingly they're not that tacky or out of place for this album. Usually synths get in the way of more aggressive bands but I think they fit really nice here for the most part.

Overall the album tries its hardest to bring an epic, loud and detailed atmosphere with oppressive sounds but they are often split up by more quieter parts that serve as a much needed breather. It's a dynamic that works for them and I found no difficulties going through the album several times. It's a real shame Drautran managed to release just one album but they definitely left a mark with it.

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Furia - Martwa Polska Jesień

I hate this cover. It feels so amateurish, it's not representative of the band at all.

Furia is a band that comes from Poland, they have four albums out (newest came out this year) and most of them seem to be pretty highly rated. I've only checked out this one so I'm not sure how it compares to the others but of what I heard this is certainly another quality band from the rich Polish scene of black metal.

Musically the album is reminiscent of Mgła but perhaps less melodic, more aggressive and less fast. Despite being less catchy than Mgła they still are quite melodic and pleasing on the ears. Another great factor are the vocals which are some kind of pained groans that go along with the music quite nicely and they don't feel tacked on the music. Another highlight of the album are the drums, especially the blastbeasts, that thunder throughout the whole album. The drummer is for me the biggest factor why their sound is so rich with detail. I guess the only complaint I have with this is album is that sometimes it sounds  a bit sterile.

Highly recommended.

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Norns - In Fog They Appear

Norns is one of those bands that released one or two demos and then disappeared into the void. Their demo came out back in 2005 and since then I haven't seen anything else by them aside from one song on some random split with another obscure band from Germany.

Originally I didn't plan to post this today but this whole day was just filled with fog everywhere and it reminded me to revisit this demo. It's good, it's nothing special or innovative but if you're looking for some quality lo-fi second wave black metal then you should grab this. It's a shame they (supposedly) broke up because I can definitely hear some great potential here. Finland was always good when it comes to black metal like this.

Apparently there's a CD version of this demo that's still in print which you can get here along with some more obscure, tape-only bands.

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Galdr - Valdyrhugr

Galdr is a US band coming from Georgia that has been now for some time on the scene. Not a lot but enough to release two full lengths and a demo. Their first album is worth checking out if you're into Darkthroney black metal with maybe a more calmer mood and synths. The latest one is not really that great, mostly boring stuff which was disappointing since I was looking forward to it when it was coming out.

Their demo, which I'm sharing here, is probably my favorite release from this band. They absolutely nailed the atmosphere and the fuzz of guitars here. The music is melancholic, almost depressive in style (but the vocals aren't in the usual style of depressive bm bands) with relaxing synths and acoustic guitars thrown in for good measure. The quality of the recording is what you would expect from a demo but I think this complements their musical style. I don't think I would like this as much if it were to have a more cleaner production.

Although rooted in European sound the band does exemplify the US sound of black metal (in my opinion), especially during acoustic interludes which US bands seem to love to use these days. The whole thing lasts for 16 minutes but it's absolutely fantastic lo-fi black metal that should not be missed if you're into lo-fi stuff. They continued with this style on their debut album but they lost all the fuzz and the vocals changed somewhat which still makes it good but I think this demo tops it.

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Battle Dagorath - Eternal Throne

Everybody who's into more extreme metal knows of Paysage d'Hiver and their excellent mix of black metal and frost ambient synth stuff. While they/he certainly sits on the throne of atmospheric black metal there are other bands who strive for that sound with Battle Dagorath being a solid contestant.

From what I gather they're an international band and this was their first album (presumably done over the internet? dunno). After this one they went on to make two more albums but with different lineups. So far I heard this and their second one but their second album did not really click with me. Its production and overall sound just kinda threw me off, mostly the drums which were programmed.

Their first one on the other hand is pure bliss with no drum machine (I think, or it was better programmed). Not only does it manage to do atmospheric black metal well it also has audible enough sound so that the guitars and bass don't just sound like background hiss. The moment this album starts it envelops you into its cold embrace and it holds tightly throughout the record. Surprisingly there's enough variety here that keeps things interesting. Vocals help with this because they don't shriek all the time, the guy who sings/shrieks switches up tempos every now and then so it's not monotonous dribbles all the time and there's always something happening on the songs. Either the singer switches tempo or a riff changes or some synths kick in or an occasional sample happens to pop in. Basically something is constantly happening and trying to get attention. For being atmospheric black metal they sure keep away from the monotony that's supposedly hypnotizing, riveting etc. Some people might find this as a problem but I rather like it. I have my share of monotonous bands already.

If you ever get bored of Paysage d'Hiver and want to hear something more like it, this would be a good album to grab.

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Blut Aus Nord - Ultima Thulée

As with Abigor, Blut Aus Nord is another band that you can easily recognize due to their unique approach to black metal. They both had/have interesting careers and eras of sound. Although Abigor's first album was not that much out of the norm the first one by Blut Aus Nord was definitely not something ordinary or conventional.

What's most distinct about this band is their guitar sound and this can be heard/felt from the start of their career (probably culminating with Mort). This album might take a while to sink in because of this and probably because of the vocals as well. The vocals are delivered in these distant shrieks that definitely complement the atmosphere of the songs but overall I think they're not handled that well. I could do without them. But their guitar sound is just so weird to me and I love it. There are also synths here that are pretty seamlessly added to the mix on all songs but the first one which starts off like a rave in the 90s for some reason. Not exactly like a rave but that's always what comes to my mind whenever I hear it.

While they do have an impressive assortment of releases I often find myself coming back to this first one. This and Transilvanian Hunger are my go to albums when I'm getting ready to go to bed. They're just so atmospheric and "distant" that it makes the feel of isolation portrayed in their covers very profound. Probably my favorite part of this album is when My Prayer Beyond Ginnungagap song kicks in. It's a vocal-only song that serves as a bridge or breathing room between two parts of the album and it's just so fucking magical. I don't know how to describe it but it strikes me every time I hear it. It really give this album a tone that they did not match on any of their later albums.

Next time a blizzard comes to your town be sure to give this a frosty try.

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Ravencult - Morbid Blood

Ravencult is a band that comes from Greece, a country that is well known for good black metal output. This band is pretty much what I consider to be good, accessible black metal. Now when I say it's accessible I don't mean anything negative by that. What I mean by that is that everything is kinda pretty or melodic on this album (to me). It's pleasing, it's like eating a tasty chocolate bar. First of all the album itself sounds clean and sharp making it sound very modern. There's also no to very little reverb here so it's very in your face, the vocals are raspy screams throughout the album and you can actually hear what the dude is singing about (although this is after you go through it once or twice) and the riffs that are very active, lively and fun. And not to mention the aesthetically pleasing occult cover! Gotta love that.

So yeah, this band is not really big on inventing new wheels but more into refining what works and what is good. Despite being a bit cliche in every regard they still are a joy to listen. Their first album was a bit of a struggle with sound and direction but this one, being their second, seems like they were at home with everything they're doing. Everything fell into its rightful place. Hopefully their next installment will be even better.

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Endlichkeit - Endlichkeit I–II

Endlichkeit is a relatively new band that comes from the US. So far they have just two demos but both are good, traditional black metal. The trend of "post-black metal" (or whatever you want to call it) clearly did not affect this band at all. From cover to execution this is some solid, albeit conventional, second wave black metal.

The tape leans more on the depressive side (as the snow on the cover might suggest) of black metal with riffs not really accommodating any punchy or hyperactive sounds. The production is choppy but hey, it's a demo tape, you can't really expect something better. Personally I don't have any problems with lo-fi black metal so I generally love to play their demos every now and then.

Their second demo came out this year and it was on Fallen Empire records for like 5 bucks but their site is down at the moment.

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Mgła - Presence

As for the second release today here's something short and sweet. Mgła should be by now a very well known black metal act considering how good their last album was. Groza, their debut album, honestly disappointed me because I expected so much more from them. I had high expectations for the album because their EPs were so incredibly good. All three were a perfect blend of melody and finesse with some really memorable riffs and songs overall. If I had to pick a favorite among these early EPs I would definitely pick this one. But I think I'm not the only one who shares this opinion. I saw these guys live this year and they even played this live which was a really warm surprise. In fact they played a lot of songs from the EPs. In terms of sound this is where they polished their sound into what it is today. The production is excellent (for black metal) so the songs lost some of that raw quality which previous releases had but it's a good omen for what's to come after it. The songs themselves are incredibly catchy, especially the opening riff, which makes me wonder why they're not considered as "melodic" black metal but whatever. That's just nitpicking.

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Abigor - Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age

I realized that I never wrote anything about Abigor yet they're one of my favorite bands and also among the first bands that I discovered back in the day. Not only that but the same guys who are in this band are also in Summoning and Summoning is fucking fantastic.

So yeah; good band. Verwüstung / Invoke the Dark Age was their first album after a few shaky and not that great demos. Throughout their history Abigor changed and modified its sound. Their discography (as of 2014) packs nine albums plus one remake and while some of their stuff is of questionable value, especially from the later parts of the last decade, overall they produced some of the most interesting and unique albums in the scene. While their later on albums delved into some more experimental territories this album (their first one) is firmly rooted in black metal tradition for the most part.

The album hits off with a cheesy intro proclaiming some kingdom of darkness and whatever else was hip at the time and then it blasts off into sweet, sweet black metal riffs. Tone wise it sounds a little like Burzum I guess. It has that crunchy hiss guitar sound to it with vocals being in a similar style of screams that Varg had but musically it's much different. The guitars often diverge in separate riffs so it's not just two guitars playing the same riff all the time, they often compliment each other and often times you can hear acoustic guitars providing some good backdrop to everything. They also use tapping, "solos" and breakdowns which was not very common at the time. Basically what I'm trying to get at is that composition wise this album is absolutely superb, it's never boring to go through this from start to finish. They definitely were brimming with ideas when they went to record this album.

In short, it's great second-wave black metal with some symphonic elements thrown in the bunch. Great listen and a solid starting point if you're interested in getting into Abigor.

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Black Metal November!

There's this tradition that has been going on for a while now. It originated on /mu/ (the music forum on 4chan) and it pretty much stayed there. The tradition is that November is reserved only for black metal, you only listen to black metal for the whole month. I did this a few times (I think this is my third year) and it's actually really useful for me because I get to go through my black metal library and revisit/delete albums that I forgot about and because this is one of my favorite genres I have really no trouble going through with this once per year. This also gave me an idea!

I wrote a very small amount of posts this year due to various irrelevant reasons so I decided that for this month I'll post two black metal albums per day. Some are well known (but dear to me) and some are lesser known (but also dear to me). I also have a few tapes prepared for some extra frosty experience.

So get your black beverage of choice, sit in your comfy chair and enjoy some black metal albums this month!